War-weary border residents of Kupwara welcome ceasefire announcement

Kupwara, May 10: A ray of hope emerged Saturday evening among the residents of border areas of Kupwara district after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire agreement of all means. The announcement, made by Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in a press briefing, was met with cautious optimism by people affected by the ceasefire violation by Pakistan Army and Rangers.

The announcement made by the Foreign Secretary at about 5 pm brought a wave of relief to the residents of affected areas including Karnah, Keran, Chowkibal, Sonthipora, Dolipora Trehgam and a few other areas. These areas have been the worst hit for the last four days due to relentless artillery shelling from across the border. Dozens of residential houses have been reduced to rubble, livestock perished, and several vehicles were destroyed in these areas.

“We have been living under constant fear for the past four days. The past four nights turned out to be nightmarish for us and every moment we thought the next shell might land on our roof. The ceasefire agreement has given us hope for peace, but the scars of what we have gone through shall remain stuck to our memories for years,” Mumtaz Ahmad from Zunreshi, Chowkibal told Greater Kashmir.

Among the most affected people happen to be those families who have taken shelter in different parts of Kupwara town after their homes were destroyed. For many among them, the loss is irreparable. “I spent my whole earnings on building a house in Karnah but that has been razed to rubble by the Pakistani shelling. I am left with nothing, no home, no belongings, and no clarity on the future” said the head of a family living along with his family in a temporary shelter in Kupwara.

The trauma among the residents of affected families is running deep inside them. Some are even hesitant to return to their families despite the ceasefire agreement between the two countries. “We have seen death so closely. Our homes turned to rubble in front of our eyes. Even if the guns fall silent, our fear remains loud,” said another resident from Hajinar Karnah. “We want our children to live without fear, attend school, and move outside without the sound of gunfire. Let this ceasefire agreement be the beginning of a new chapter of our life,” he added.